Bad Things
by mermaidstear
Summary: REWRITE. Dallas Montgomery has been friends with Sookie her entire life and always known she was different. When Bon Temps' first vampire moves in next door and she's taken to Fangtasia, the vampires take over her life the way they have Sookie's. Eric/OC but Bill does have a massive part as well.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey ya'll! This is the first chapter in my rewrite of Bad Things. If you're new to this story then I certainly hope you enjoy it and tell me about it! If you're coming back, I can't thank you enough. Bad Things is one of my most successful fics and I hope that you like the rewrite just as much or better than the original. Mostly, I'm doing this rewrite because of the simple fact that the original was not written as well as it could have been. I also plan on doing a few changes and basically have the story flow more. If you've read my original fic, most of the major events won't change because I liked the way so much of it unfolded. But hopefully, this will be a lot more detailed. I also plan on leaving up my original fic if anyone cares to go back to that! Also, I own nothing in this fic except Dallas.**

Maybe I should've realized sooner rather than later that things became odd in Bon Temps after vampires "came out of the coffin." Of course, I'd always been odd. Not odd like my best friend, Sookie; she could read minds and that was a talent I certainly didn't have. I mean odd in the sense that I'd always felt different and like there was something off about me. In fact, I think it was something people in town picked up on whether I'd understood it or not.

I'd never had many friends other than Sookie and her brother, Jason. The two of them had seemingly adopted me into their sibling relationship since childhood and I'd fully appreciated it. I was an only child and my parents had died in a car crash the year I graduated high school. Since then, my job at Merlotte's, a bar and the most popular place in town, paid the bills on my old house. My family, like Sookie's and many others, had continued to live in our plantation houses. It was a thing I was fairly proud of but living in houses such as mine and Sookie's required a lot of upkeep.

My house was beside the Comptons' and across the cemetery from Sookie's. None of the three had the land that they used to so it was fairly easy to keep in contact with your neighbors. I'd hated it when old Jesse Compton had passed and left the house beside me open. There was something comforting about knowing someone was close by when you needed them.

But at any rate, I lived alone in a big house and the rare times I went out, it was just to go to my shift of waitressing at Merlotte's. My boss, Sam Merlotte, owned the place and was the best boss anyone could ask for, as far as I was concerned. He was pleasant and he always went out of his way to help someone when they needed it. But there was something off about him too. It was just something I could feel, that everything wasn't completely normal when it came to Sam. But I was probably the only one that got that feeling.

The day everything that turned my life on it's head started had been a weirdly normal day. I'd gone in for my shift at Merlotte's and Tara Thornton had quit another job and Sam was shamelessly goggling Sookie. I was hostess for the evening and I'd shyly seated the Rattrays before someone I'd never seen before entered the bar. It was a split second before I realized it.

The man I was seating was a vampire and strangely enough, I wasn't nervous. Vampires didn't bother me, not the way they did other people, and I'd always wanted to meet one but I was typically frightened to think of them. But this man, with his dark hair and pleasant demeanor, seemed fairly harmless. So I asked.

"Forgive my manners, sir, but are you a vampire?" I asked innocently. My curiosity was eating me alive.

He smiled slyly and nodded at me. "Am I that obvious?" he responded. "I've just moved back. I don't wish to be an outcast immediately."

"Are you from here?" I asked. He nodded again.

"It was my home before I turned vampire," he breathed. His voice was beautiful. He carried the Southern accent better than anyone else I'd ever met.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you," I said. "I'm Dallas. Dallas Montgomery." He smiled again.

"I'm Bill Compton." Hearing him talk was like hearing honey.

"Compton?" He nodded. "Is there any chance you'll be living at the old Compton place?"

"That was my original home." I wanted to gasp but I didn't. He was probably something like a Confederate soldier if he'd lived there. Oh my gosh, Sookie's gran would just die if she heard something like this. If he remembered the Civil War, Adele would descend on him fast.

"Well, meet your new neighbor! I'll be living next door."

"Montgomery, of course. I knew some of your family and if they're any indication, I'll have a friend in you. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Dallas." I smiled and walked away. Sookie would wait his table. I had a feeling that we'd be fast friends.

**So here's just an intro chapter! I hope you like it!**


	2. Chapter 2

I'd seen Sookie immediately fall under Bill's spell. He was, after all, Bon Temps' first vampire. But Sookie revealed to me after a few days that she couldn't read Bill's mind. She'd saved him from being drained by the Rattrays on the first night they met and soon after, the two of them had hit it off romantically and no doubt, her not being able to read his mind had quite a bit to do with it.

I'd been correct when I figured that Bill and I would hit it off. Bill hadn't quite been accepted yet and I'd done Sookie's gran a favor without asking by talking to Bill about the Descendants of the Glorious Dead, a historical society in town that mainly wanted information on the Civil War and the town in general. I'd recently joined. Adele Stackhouse had been pleased when I told her that Bill would be up for talking to us at a night meeting soon.

Bill and Sookie spent most of their time having some kind of confusing romantic relationship and when Sookie told me details I barely understood the problem. He'd had some vampire friends over that had maybe threatened her? I didn't quite get it but Bill and Sookie's relationship was not really concerning.

Girls had been turning up dead. One of them had been Dawn, a fellow waitress at Merlotte's and a friend of mine on occasion. She may have slept around but she wasn't a bad person. The other girl was Maudette Pickins, who I might've seen at Merlotte's from time to time but I couldn't be certain. I had to admit that I found it odd in a town this small that there was a murderer. I just kept all of my doors locked and practically ran to my car when my shift was over.

Sookie seemed to be losing sleep over it for some reason and had figured out both of the girls had been with vampires. Bill, being one, knew of a vampire bar in Shreveport where they could get some answers. I felt it was my responsibility to let Sookie know that she wasn't a detective.

"Sookie, I really don't think this is a good idea," I said at work the night before she was planning to go. "The vampires in those bars don't wanna help you. They aren't worth your time."

"How would you know, Dallas?" she asked, picking up the food for one of her tables from Lafayette. "We've only met one vampire and that's Bill. You know what, if you're so concerned about all this, maybe you should come with us. I've already told Bill that this isn't a date and with you there, it definitely won't be one." I raised one of my eyebrows before following her to her table.

"Can I ask what is so wrong with him? I think Bill is a great catch and he's clearly carrying a torch for you. You've been wanting some quiet for years and now you've got some! I think it's a God-send. Besides, he's a great guy and he's gorgeous. I don't see how you can lose."

"Why don't you date him then?" She started laughing and I laughed along with her. "It doesn't really matter though because tomorrow is supposed to be business. Don't back out on me!" I had been sort of trying to convince her to go with just Bill to the bar. Who knew? Maybe she'd thank me for it later. Even though vampires didn't bother me the way they did others, the thought of a place completely filled with them creeped me out. "Please, Dallas!"

"I just don't see why you need to me to go. Why can't we let Sheriff Dearborn and Andy do their jobs? They'll find whoever did this. Besides, the last thing I want is to get poor Bill in trouble when he doesn't deserve it. He needs to fit in around here." I knew that would get her to thinking but it didn't stall her long.

"Sheriff Dearborn and Andy aren't exactly doing their best and I think it's because both of them had been with vampires. I was the one who found Dawn and when Andy got there, he wasn't thinking very nice things." I didn't doubt it. "Nobody is gonna know what we're doing, Dallas. Relax and come with us. You never know, this might be a really good trip for you."

The next night I got ready in a tizzy. Sookie was wearing a dress, I knew for certain. I partially pulled back my dark hair and left it curly. I pulled on a lavender dress that cut off right before my knees and that cinched under my cleavage. It was nice and I figured that Fangtasia might be a nice sort of place. I hadn't received a dress code list of what was appropriate but it was a place where a lot of people got dates so I figured they must look pretty nice.

I rode awkwardly in the backseat of Sookie's car while she and Bill were clearly flirting with each other. The ride to Shreveport seemed to take longer than it usually did. When we pulled into the parking lot of Fangtasia, I was almost relieved. "This is it?" I asked, poking my head between the front seats, trying desperately to not only separate Bill and Sookie's come-hither looks but also to get a glimpse of the clientele. Darn, it looked like I was completely overdressed. Sookie was too.

"Yes," said Bill. "This is it. Don't worry about it. If you both keep close to me, everything will be fine. My only suggestion is to not be openly nervous. They seem to sense that. That's when they would target you." My mouth practically dropped open from horror. Vampires weren't legally supposed to feed on humans at all, especially not for full-length meals. A little love bite here and there didn't hurt anyone but it was crystal clear to me that the biting that happened at Fangtasia wasn't all sexual. "Be calm about this, Dallas."

"I swear," began Sookie, "I am just going to go in here and ask a few questions and then we can leave. It won't take long at all."

"Is it okay if I just wait in the car?" I asked sheepishly. "I'm okay with vampires and all, just not with this." I hoped they would back off and leave me be but when Bill turned around in his seat, I automatically felt calmer. He was incredibly reassuring.

"I won't let any harm come to you, Dallas," he said in that thick voice he had. The way Bill said my name was intensely personal and he seemed to drag out every letter in that Southern drawl of his. His accent wasn't so different from mine, really, but it sounded better coming from him than it ever had from me. I felt assured he really would take care of me and Sookie inside. I nodded.

I opened the back door and got out slowly. _I can do this, _I said to myself. _I can do this. _I looked around frantically while Sookie and Bill got out of the car. There were weird people in leather and chains everywhere; typical fangbangers. Then I saw the woman at the door checking IDs. She was obviously a vampire and a freaky one at that. She had thick blonde hair that fell down in waves and skin that looked like the life had been sucked out of it. But she was gorgeous. Bill started walking towards her and Sookie and I followed suit. The woman knew Bill because she called him by name and they talked casually for a couple of minutes. Sookie and I just exchanged an awkward glance. I gleaned from their conversation that Bill was "main streaming" which probably explained why I liked him so much. The woman, whose name was Pam, seemed to think that Bill needed to be around others of his kind.

She eerily smiled at us before asking to see Sookie and I's IDs. I nervously pulled out my wallet from my floral handbag and, hands shaking, showed her my driver's license. She looked it from it to my face and then back again. Then she nodded. "Bill, you should've known better than to bring this doe-eyed girl here," Pam said. "She needs a tonic." Then she laughed, which was an entirely glorious sound that shook me to my core. I hastily pushed my wallet back into my purse as she checked Sookie's ID. I felt too embarrassed for words. "I never forget a pretty face," said the vampire woman. I looked over at her again and she was eyeing me, from my white wedge sandals to the heart shaped neckline of my dress. "You're both in my vault." I gulped and looked at Sookie again as Bill took hold of my hand and urged us inside.

Was she a lesbian? A lesbian _vampire_ had actually shown interest in one Dallas Montgomery? I couldn't believe it.

Once inside, I stared around Fangtasia like a gaping idiot. The place resembled a strip club; a strip club that specialized in darker sexual things. People were dancing on poles and grinding each other on the dance floor. It was straight out of something on TV. I glanced at the bar where the Native American bartender was openly staring at us. Now that I had noticed it, everyone inside the building seemed to be staring at us, including one man who seemed to be seated on a throne at the front of the room. Sookie made her way over to ask the bartender questions as I turned to Bill.

"Why are all these people looking at me?" I whispered. Bill gave me some kind of apologetic smile before answering.

"You look like vampire bait in that dress," he responded lowly. I looked down at myself as color flooded the apples of my cheeks. I'd heard him say something like that to Sookie on the way over but I'd thought it was a joke, some kind of odd vampire flirting. "Let me get you and Sookie a drink." I nodded slowly and I took his arm when he offered. "The two of you look too nice to be here." I smiled.

"Thank you, I think." He smiled at me then and I felt myself relax a little. Sookie would ask her questions and we could leave. It would be okay.

Bill ordered us drinks, a True Blood for him and gin and tonics for me and Sookie. When we sat at a table together, Sookie explained that she hadn't gotten anything out of the bartender. He'd blatantly told her that everyone in Fangtasia turned a blind eye to who was with who and who was feeding on who. I found that to be incredibly gruesome and it only added to how squeamish I felt.

As Sookie and Bill started talking about who Sookie should approach for some answers next, I noticed the man at the front of the room again. The throne on what looked like a stage was odd even for this already odd place. He had long blonde hair that obscured most of his face from my vision and the woman, Pam, was standing near him, whispering something in his ear. I knew he had to be a vampire. He was pale and even though I couldn't see most of his face, I knew he was beautiful.

"Bill," I asked slowly, "who is that up there? The blonde." Bill practically rolled his eyes at my question, which I thought was unnatural for someone as put together as Bill is.

"That is Eric," he said. "He owns this place." At this point, all three of us were staring at the blonde vampire. Eric turned as if he sensed our eyes on him and his gaze pierced mine before I looked down at the table. Bill automatically tensed which I thought must be a bad sign. I had been right though; Eric had a gorgeous face, one that looked rough and pretty at the same time. But it only added to my automatic fear of him. This vampire was nothing like Bill. Then Eric made a hand gesture at us that seemed to suggest he wanted us to come up to him.

"He has summoned us," said Bill. "I wonder if he has somehow sensed that Sookie is different." I hadn't even thought of that, though it was a huge possibility. Sookie had never really been good at hiding her telepathy.

"Then maybe the two of you should sort things out with him?" I asked. "Sookie could ask him some questions." I didn't want to sound like the coward I most certainly was. I had no intentions of talking to this Eric, who seemed to me more dangerous than anyone or anything I'd seen before. The feeling I got from him was synonymous with the feeling I got whenever I watched a horror movie with Sookie and Tara, only amplified. There was nothing trustworthy about this vampire.

"Dallas, you must come with us," said Bill. "There is no refusing Eric. I cannot explain it in detail but vampire politics dictate that you cannot deny someone with his power. I suggest we go up there before we anger him."

Sookie was fine with it; what was Eric but another vampire to ask questions of? I noticed Bill was uneasy about it but he certainly couldn't have been as nervous as I was. When we reached where Pam and Eric were standing, I rationalized that this had something to do with Bill as a vampire or maybe even Sookie. Eric wouldn't bat an eyelash my way. I was small, I was meek, and I was human; three things I was assured he wasn't.

Sookie didn't waste any time delving into showing them the pictures of Dawn and Maudette and asking them questions. She'd barely introduced herself but her manners were the least of my concerns. I was only grateful that they seemed focused on her. I stood behind Bill, clasping my hands together over my handbag, when Eric finally noticed I was there.

"And who are you?" he asked. He had an accent that I couldn't quite place but I instinctively knew he wasn't American. I pulled myself together.

"I'm Dallas Montgomery," I practically whispered. He moved his head so that his hair fell out of his face and he smiled at me so I tried to smile back. Pam seemed to want to laugh.

"I'm Eric Northman," he said, extending his hand towards me. I reluctantly took it and felt how unnaturally cold he was. Bill wasn't that cold, was he? Eric's lips brushed the back of my hand and I almost jumped out of my skin.

"I'm very pleased to meet you, Mr. Northman," I said, slipping my hand from his grip slowly. It might not have been totally true but it also wasn't a total lie.

"Well, aren't you sweet?" he responded. Pam cracked a smile and Bill pressed his lips together. He was as uncomfortable as I was. "You can call me Eric, sweetheart."

Bill, thankfully, said, "Well, we don't want to waste anymore of your time, Eric. We needed to be going anyway, since Sookie hasn't gotten any sufficient information."

"No, I insist you stay a while," Eric said in a tone that implied that we didn't have a choice. "It should do you some good to be around your kind, Bill." As Bill replied with some sly remark, Eric looked at me and gestured to the chair on his right. I knew I couldn't refuse him and after all, he hadn't been mean. I took the seat slowly and watched as Sookie sat to my right. Eric and Bill continued having a conversation that made it clear that they had animosity between them. Then Sookie gave me a look, a look that I knew very well. Something important was going on and she'd heard it.

"What is it?" I whispered, praying that Bill was still distracting Eric.

"There's gonna be a raid," she whispered back, anxiously. "That guy in the hat over there is a cop. They're trying to catch vampires feeding on humans and there's someone in the bathroom doing it!" I gulped. We needed to leave. But there was no way to grab Bill's attention without alerting Eric of Sookie's abilities.

"Grab Bill," I said. "I'll tell this guy, Eric, without mentioning you."

"Why tell him at all?"

"He won't let us leave without a good explanation." I felt someone touch my bare arm and when I turned, it was the vampire, Eric.

"What is it you're talking about?" he asked slyly. I screamed at Sookie in my head to reveal the raid. She did, thankfully, and it was just in time. The five of us managed to escape out of the back entrance. Once we were safe, Eric turned back to us. "You truly are gifted, Miss Stackhouse. I have no doubt we will be seeing a lot of each other." His blue eyes fixed on me then. "Miss Montgomery, it was a pleasure and I hope to make your acquaintance again soon." Was he making fun of me? I didn't have the chance to react because he and Pam were gone before we could say anything.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Sorry for the long wait! Now that class is over for the summer I hope to be updating this pretty regularly. Hope you enjoy the chapter! As usual, I own nothing except Dallas.**

I had never expected the night to go down that way at all. As I collapsed into the backseat of Sookie's car, I laid down and didn't bother with a seatbelt. "I knew that this was a terrible idea," I muttered. But at the very least, I could be sure I'd never see those vampires again. I had no plans of ever returning to Fangtasia.

"I apologize for this completely," said Bill. I saw him cut his eyes at me in the rearview mirror and he flashed them away just as fast.

"It wasn't your fault," said Sookie. "I made you take us." I shook my head.

"It wasn't anyone's fault. That Eric guy was just freaky," I replied. "If I see him again in a hundred years, it'll be too soon." I felt the car move off and I curled one of my fingers into my hair.

"I should not have taken either of you there," said Bill. "I should have known that Eric would want to use Sookie's ability but I was naïve enough to believe that he wouldn't figure it out. But I would never have anticipated that he should've shown interest in Dallas." The freakiest thing about the night was that Eric had addressed me at the end of the night, implying he wanted to see me again.

"All he did was ask for me to sit by him?" I questioned.

"Still, he paid attention to you. Humans don't typically peak his interest."

"But why Dallas?" asked Sookie. "She was terrified of him."

"It could be one of the reasons." Being skittish had caused some hulking blonde vampire to address me? It was practically a facet in my personality.

"I'm telling you, Sookie, like I've been telling you for years," I said. "I'm weird and he knew it." I had yet to figure out what was different about me, other than that I seemed to sense when other people were different. My intuition was sharper than most knives. I'd known Sookie could read minds before I became friends with her in elementary school, I knew Bill was a vampire the minute he walked into Merlotte's (though I think anyone with a brain had sensed that), and even though I'd yet to figure it out specifically, I knew something was up with Sam. I also had incredibly vivid dreams about people I'd never met before, full of light and love that could quickly turn into a nightmare.

Bill looked back at me again and I forced myself to sit up in the backseat. Did he know what was wrong with me? Or did he just suspect? "He certainly has plans to see you again. Just as he seems to want Sookie." I hadn't realized it before but it was clear the evening had unsettled all of us. Bill seemed to be feeling guilty for taking us there and Sookie seemed distraught, as she should be, that this new vampire knew of her abilities.

At Sookie's insistence, we pulled over. "Is there any way you can prevent him from using me?" she asked. Bill looked at her apologetically and seemed to shake his head.

"I am not sure we can refuse him for long. Eric is not used to passing up what he wants. He placed a lot of value on your ability and he clearly saw something special in Dallas." I felt like shrinking into the cushions of the car and disappearing.

"That's not what I wanted to hear," I said. But I knew he was right. Eric had some kind of power. It had fallen off of him in waves. It was practically palpable in the air.

Before Sookie could get pissed enough to yell, there was a knock on Bill's window. I almost jumped out of my skin. When I caught sight of a uniform, I felt myself tense up. I hadn't thought the night could get any worse but apparently, it could. Bill rolled down his window cautiously and the cop flashed his flashlight into the car, practically blinding me and Sookie. In a daze, I heard him ask to see Sookie and I's necks because of the raid that had gone on at Fangtasia. Bill, of course, denied that we had been there. I leaned forward and moved my dark hair away from my neck.

I could tell the cop was confused by the setup. Bill and Sookie came off like a couple on a date but who was I to them? I could tell he was skeptical of us but he seemed to let it go. "Sorry I had to bother ya'll," the cop said. "It's probably best you get on, son. But keep away from those vampire bars. They're plain freaky and you just might get eaten." The cop laughed at himself and I tried to choke out a laugh too but I could tell that Bill hadn't taken the joke lightly.

The next thing I knew, Bill was flashing his fangs at the guy. I backed up against my door quickly. I had never seen fangs before, let alone Bill's. The cop drew his gun but he didn't have the chance to do anything. Bill was gazing into his eyes and asking for the poor guy to give him his gun. I watched in horror as the cop actually handed it over. Then Bill moved so that the gun was pointing to the cop and I sucked in another breath. This was unbelievable.

"I do not appreciate you shining your light into the faces of my company and as I have over a hundred years on you, I do not take kindly to you calling me 'son,'" said Bill. Before I had the chance to react, Bill had thrown the cop's gun onto the ground, rolled up his window, and driven off. I think my mouth was hanging open, horrified.

"You can't just do stuff like that!" said Sookie. "It's illegal!" Sookie was as shocked as I was but she was able to get angry. All I feared was that if I made Bill mad, is that how he would react to me? The cop had been doing his job and actually, hadn't said much in the way of incriminating vampires. He was right that you could get eaten at a vampire bar.

"I apologize to the both of you," he responded. "It has been a long night." Sookie didn't seem to back down but I knew we'd made him sorry. He saddened when he looked in the rearview mirror at me.

We arrived back at Sookie's house in one piece surprisingly and I looked away when Bill tried to say goodbye to her. The two of us had to walk through the cemetery back to our houses and Bill had told me before the night began that he'd walk me home. Once on the path back to our houses, I slid off my wedges and carried them beside me. I was tired of walking on them and when it was just the two of us, it hit me that they almost made me taller than Bill.

"I did not wish to make you fear me, Dallas," he said after a little while on the path. "I hope you know that. I am so very sorry."

"I understand," I said. "It was a long night for me too." Even from a distance, I could see the lights I'd left on in my house. I was exhausted. "Are you ready to speak at the Descendants of the Glorious Dead meeting?" When I glanced over at Bill, he was only looking down at his feet.

"I think it might be hard for me." I furrowed my brow but I didn't respond. He'd be talking about his old life and I couldn't imagine how hard that must be.

"I'm looking forward to it," I said. "Sookie and her Gran are too." I saw him smile then. He'd met Sookie's Gran the other day and I knew she'd been sweet to him. But other than the three of us, who'd even really been nice to Bill? Jason had been a total jerk when he'd met him, same with Tara. Sam was wary of him. Andy was wary of him. "Well, you know, if you ever wanna hang out or something, my house is always open."

"You've been nothing but kind to me, Dallas. I think you might be my first true friend here." I smiled at that. "I might take you up on that offer."

"I hope you do," I said.

A couple of days passed without much in the way of events. I attempted to forget about the terrible night I'd had at Fangtasia and focused on helping Sookie's Gran get ready for the Descendants of the Glorious Dead meeting. It was a lot of work and organizing, which had never been my strong suit. I wasn't much in the way of practicality. But Sookie's Gran was like my own grandmother so I felt like pulling more weight than I normally would have.

The night of the meeting, I sat alone, a few rows up from where Sookie, Sam, and Tara were sitting. Sookie and Sam were on a date so I didn't feel like intruding, even though I didn't understand why Sookie had agreed to go out with him. He was our boss and she had always been strict about keeping to that line of thinking. Whatever the case, I was probably just trying to reprimand her in my own way for blowing off Bill. I liked Bill and we seemed to be growing closer. It was nice to have a real friend in a town where it had always been hard for me to make friends.

I listened, rapt, to Bill's harrowing story about the Civil War and when the mayor got up to give him something that had been found in the town's archives, I almost fell forward out of my seat to see it more clearly. It was a picture of Bill and his family before the war, before he turned. I felt my heart seize up in sympathy for him when I saw Bill turn and wipe his eyes. This is what he meant when he'd said it would be difficult for him.

After the meeting, Bill and I decided hang out with each other, mostly because Sam and Sookie were on a date and that seemed to be weird to the two of us. Unfortunately, that night Sookie's Gran got murdered and Bill and I tried to help in any way that we could. I was devastated by Adele's death in a way that I never thought I would be. Who would murder an innocent woman like that, in her own house? Nothing about this added up and Sookie knew it.

I regretted to see that Jason had taken the blame for every single one of the killings, regardless of the fact that he'd have to be crazy to kill his own grandmother. I tried to help Sookie by talking to him but Jason was in no state to be of help to anyone. In fact, I think he was high.

After Gran's funeral and a weird outburst by Sookie, I tried to take my days a little easier. Something weird was definitely happening in Bon Temps and I needed to steer clear of it. It was a shame that that never happened.

Bill showed up on my doorstep one evening and I could immediately sense something was up with the situation. "Is there a problem next door, Bill?" I asked playfully. He only shrugged. "You wanna come in?" I moved out of the way to let him enter my house for the first time. For the most part, if I saw him it was at Merlotte's or when I came by his own house. This was the only time Bill had shown up on my doorstep other than the night we'd gone to Fangtasia's.

"Dallas, Sookie and I have been summoned to Fangtasia tonight," Bill said as he stepped over the threshold and into my house. I wondered if I'd regret letting him in. No, that was crazy. "We have to help Eric find out if someone working for him has been embezzling money."

"Well, that person must be crazy," I said. Bill almost sighed.

"Indeed. I am sorry for having to bother you when you were obviously planning on going somewhere but I have something to ask of you." I had been planning on seeing Hoyt Fortenberry and Jason at Merlotte's. It was my night off but somehow, I always ended up over at that place.

"Sure," I said, "ask away." I figured he wanted me to look out for his house or maybe he was expecting something and needed me to pick it up. But Bill didn't look like he was going to say anything frivolous.

"Eric wants you to come with us." I almost laughed but I was so panic stricken that I didn't.

"Excuse me?" Why would I need to be invited to something at Fangtasia? At least Sookie really was a mind reader. There was some valid use for her to the vampires. But what about me? "You can't be serious."

"I am sorry for having to put you through this, especially after our last experience at Fangtasia but I have no choice in the matter and neither does Sookie. Neither do you." I didn't like the sound of that. A person… A vampire I barely knew was laying some claim to my time?

"Bill, I am scared of him." It was the only statement I could think of to say. It was, unfortunately, very true and Bill had been aware of that fact before he'd asked me. He was right; no one had any choice.

"I know and that is why I am sorry. But Eric is my superior… and he does not understand the word 'no'."

Reluctantly, I followed Bill to Sookie's and went with them to Fangtasia. The ride there proved to me that I wasn't the only one worried about the evening would go. Sookie was openly nervous and practically looked sick while Bill had an iron grip on the steering wheel and his eyes flashed between me and Sookie at a rapid pace. Eric was old, that much was obvious to me. That had to be part of the reason why Bill appeared to be anxious.

When Bill turned into the parking lot, I felt my stomach flip-flop. The bar was completely deserted other than a couple of cars, which simply made me feel worse about the whole thing. It must have been closed down so that this business could be taken care of. I tried unsuccessfully to stay behind in the car but Bill ultimately calmed Sookie and I down.

Sookie and Bill walked into Fangtasia ahead of me, clearly better at pulling themselves together than I was. I followed them in and watched as everyone immediately started in on Sookie. I spotted Pam, the vampire who had checked our IDs, and the Native American bartender, who seemed creepier tonight than I had remembered. Then my eyes locked on Eric after he had explained something to Sookie, who was going to interview the human employees. Eric's hair was still unfortunately long but other than that, he looked nice. He smiled at me and I made myself smile back. All those days being at cotillion shouldn't go to waste.

Bill and Sookie were sitting at a table with one of the humans already so I hung back by the door and to distract myself from this weird situation, I focused in on each person in the room. None of the human employees seemed to have a clue about what they were here for so I doubted they were behind the embezzlement. Pam looked bored and wasn't giving off any kind of untrustworthy vibe (at least one that she didn't already have naturally). Eric clearly wasn't going to steal money from his own company and draw attention to it. That left one person in the room; the bartender. He'd been plain creepy the first time I had come to Fangtasia but tonight, I felt a little more scared of him than I did then.

I watched Sookie focus on reading the woman's mind sitting in front of her as Pam probed with some interview questions. The woman seemed blank on a lot of them, just based on her facial expressions. She was working to remember something.

"How are you this evening, Miss Montgomery?" I turned my head slightly and saw Eric standing incredibly close to me. He had a grin on his face that was more a smirk than a smile.

"I've been better, Mr. Northman. How about you?" I responded, hoping he'd get to the punch of why he'd wanted me to be here tonight. But I only received a chuckle from him.

"I'll be doing better once I get to the bottom of this problem."

"Who do you think it might be? One of the humans since you're using Sookie?" He picked up the disdain in my voice fairly quickly and backed out of my personal space.

"Miss Stackhouse is getting paid for what she does here tonight. Money she desperately needs as I understand it." Eric hadn't sounded snappy but I knew he was. He seemed to know that I was wary of him and luckily, didn't want to unnerve me further. Funnily enough, Sookie hadn't mentioned needing money to me. Would she have normally? "Well, I saw you staring at everyone in the room, thinking pretty intensely. Do you have any ideas?" Eric was clearly waiting to see if I'd reveal myself as another mind reader, perhaps one that could read even supernatural minds.

Stupidly, I responded, "Your bartender. He's the only one who makes sense and he's giving me a bad vibe." Eric raised one of his perfectly arched eyebrows. "Is that why you wanted me here? You value my opinion?" I asked it slowly and quietly but he'd heard me.

"I may start to. You're not entirely normal, are you? How did you come to that conclusion?" My hands began shaking and I clutched my purse to make them stop.

"It's just intuition." I had incredibly reliable intuition and it was almost never wrong when it told me to be wary of someone. That is why I had to be skeptical of Eric. I had to trust myself.

"Of course," he murmured.

Before I knew it, the bartender had descended on Sookie and Bill had staked him. I shrieked and practically jumped out of my skin beside Eric, who almost laughed at me. The guy exploded and had covered Sookie. I watched, horrified, as Pam took her to the bathroom to get cleaned up. Eric left my side to speak to Bill about the ramifications of killing another vampire. I raised my eyebrows. Yeah, I was right to be skeptical of Eric. What was Bill supposed to do? Allow the man who had been _embezzling _from Eric kill Sookie? Eric would have killed the guy anyway.

I needed to calm down. This was the first time I'd seen a vampire be killed, which I suppose, was nothing next to Sookie having to clean the poor guy off her.

Once Sookie had changed into something suitable and clean, Bill was eager to take us home. I was eager to let him. I moved to follow the two of them out the door but Eric stopped me.

"I hope to see you again sometime soon, Dallas," he said. I gulped.

"Hopefully not _too _soon," I responded and I pushed past him to the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Again, I tried to ignore the events that had happened at Fangtasia. I didn't think it was right for Sookie to have to serve some volatile vampire like Eric but I was also aware that she didn't really have a choice. Bill had said as much and like it or not, his was the only word we had to go on. But still, I had tried to hide from the both of them that Eric had insinuated I wasn't exactly normal. I understood the sentiment, given I felt the same way about myself, but what did it mean? Now some crazy vampire, who had already commandeered my time once, was thinking that my intuition was something supernatural.

I pushed those thoughts out of my head for the next few days until I was forced to remember them one day at work.

Tara was manning the bar and I was trying to wait a few tables. There had been a scare a few days ago about some vampires that Bill had been friends with before moving back to town. Some uncouth rednecks thought it would be a good idea to try to kill them and they succeeded. Sookie had been under the impression that Bill was with them at the time, therefore, dead as a doornail too. Luckily, he hadn't been. Still, the rednecks were proud of their accomplishments and were yelling about it in Merlotte's that night.

I very rarely rolled my eyes but I was close to it when I waiting on them to finish their order. I almost started tapping my foot but I resisted the impulse due to the fact that I was holding a tray too. I wrote down their order (which consisted of, unsurprisingly, a pitcher of beer and not much else) and vaguely heard the door to Merlotte's open. Who was on hostess duty tonight? Certainly not me or Sookie.

"I'll put that in for you," I said, turning to walk towards the kitchen. The minute I turned my back, one of the men slapped me on the rear. I snapped my head over my shoulder, outraged. I heard a thump and I dropped my tray along with my notepad when I saw what had caused it. Eric had snapped the man's arm onto the table, holding him there. I gasped.

"Now, that's no way to treat a lady," Eric said in that glib way he had. I stumbled to pick up my tray and duck away from everyone's stares. Bill and Pam had come in with Eric. Bill seemed slightly concerned about me and Pam looked like she was disgusted to be in Merlotte's at all.

I stood back up, arms wrapped my tray like it would shield me, and whispered to Eric, "Thank you." I quickly dodged him and almost ran to dive behind the bar. Tara gave me a weird look when Bill moved to walk into Sam's office. He gave me an almost imperceptible nod before vanishing down the back hallway.

I dropped my tray again when I made to look back at Tara. Eric was standing beside the bar like he was wanting to come behind it. He picked up my tray and handed it to me, moving a little bit behind the bar. I looked around for Sam, even though I knew he was talking to Bill. No one was going to save me from this situation. Eric was clearly interested in me and my above-average intuition. I was going to have to handle it.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. I heard Tara mutter her usual, "WTF?" from behind me. I glanced around the bar quickly and noticed that everyone seemed to be staring at us, Sookie included. At the wave of Eric's hand, Pam launched into a spiel about Fangtasia, handing out fliers and just generally chatting away about it.

"I should say, you might be glad I'm here but the real reason I'm here is for Bill. He wanted to say goodbye to you and Sookie," he responded. I widened my eyes. What was he talking about?

"Where- Where is he going?" I asked. "He can't just leave." I wasn't about to let that happen. Sookie was his girlfriend and I was his… Well, I was his best friend.

"It was a crime for him to kill another vampire," Eric whispered down at me. "He has to be punished for it." I was almost certain that Eric was telling me more than he should have. I wanted to clamp my mouth shut because of that but I couldn't resist.

"But he did it to help Sookie. She would have been killed otherwise." Eric only shrugged. I grew cold at that. Her life meant nothing to him. She was a tool for him to use whenever he wanted. All he saw when he looked at her was a mindreader. That made me dislike him even more. "Will- Will Bill be killed?"

"I don't know," he responded. For a moment there, I almost thought he would laugh.

"Can you make sure he doesn't?" I knew I sounded pathetic because what was I to this vampire? I was meaningless and weak and still practically a stranger to him. But Eric gave me a knowing look and nodded.

"I'll try."

With that, Bill emerged from Sam's office, looking between me and Eric before gesturing that we should go outside. Bill grabbed Sookie and left first. I followed behind Eric and felt a little triumphant when he told the men behind killing those vampires that he was onto them. When he nodded, I followed him and Pam outside.

Sookie was crying so I figured Bill must've explained what was going on to her. I made to go to her but Bill cut me off when he arrived in front of me. I let him pull me into a hug and I gripped at his back. I was almost sick to my stomach with worry for him. When I finally pulled away from him, Bill kissed me on the forehead and only made me promise to stay safe. I nodded.

The next couple of days passed and I heard nothing from either Eric or Bill. Sookie had called me once since they'd left and it was only to tell me something rather weird.

"You know how you've always had this feeling about Sam?" she'd asked, her voice hushed.

"Sure," I responded.

"Well, you were right. That's all I can say but I just wanted you to know you were right, Dallas." The conversation ended a little while after that when I finally gave up on asking her questions.

I actively kept an eye on Bill's house. I pretended I was only going over to water his plants but I just wanted to see whether he had snuck back into town without telling anyone (which I highly doubted).

After getting off work one night and arriving home at 1am, I was more than ready for sleep. I threw on one of my nightgowns (it was a little more low cut than I usually liked but it was floral and I was a sucker for floral) and settled into bed. The minute I laid my head back onto my pillow, I heard a knock at my front door. I shot up, my heartbeat quickening. An intruder wouldn't knock on my front door, would he? Was it those jerks from Merlotte's the other day, still angry that Eric had showed them up?

Nonetheless, I crawled out of bed, bare feet tiptoeing toward the stairs. My eyes fixed on the door and the windows beside it. I caught a glimpse of hair as dark as mine and I took off down the stairs, throwing open my front door. "Bill," I said breathlessly. "Are you okay?" I moved out onto the porch when he looked reluctant to come inside. He nodded at me before giving me a once over. "If I'd have known you were coming, I'd have stayed dressed," I said, crossing my arms, more than a little embarrassed.

"It's perfectly fine," he responded. "I should have realized you'd be in bed." I shook my head.

"Nope, not yet. Would you wanna come in?" He half-smiled and nodded at me.

I led Bill into my living room, which was littered with vintage furniture. I was loathe to rid myself of it. Besides, my parents saw value in those types of things and they had instilled that in me.

I took a seat beside him on my couch and prompted him to tell me what had happened. Bill had only shrugged, looking slightly upset about whatever it was. I nodded at him.

"They made me make a new vampire to replace the one I killed," he said, turning away from me for a moment. I leaned over and placed my hand on his shoulder. I wasn't exactly sure how to comfort him and I wasn't exactly sure why he'd chosen me to come to first. It was clear he hadn't talked to Sookie, most likely, not to worry her.

"Gosh, that's terrible," I replied. "But at least, they didn't execute you." He nodded.

"But I've never been a maker… and she was so terrified. I've taken her away from her family forever. She was so… innocent." He cut his eyes over at me before continuing. "Now she's impetuous and I can tell she loathes me." I shook my head.

"She'll come around," I said, without knowing whether she actually would. "She's basically like a child of yours, right?" He nodded in response. "Then of course, she will."

"I know that you are not vampire and that you may not wish to do this but I think she needs a friend." I nodded immediately.

"Of course," I responded. "I can come over and visit ya'll," I said, assuming the girl would live with Bill. "Sookie might be into the idea too." He nodded again.

"I have not spoken with her about this because it is a hard thing to explain." I wasn't sure what the ritual was that vampires had to go through to get turned but obviously, it was questionable and definitely not something you wanted to talk to your human girlfriend about. That still only made me wonder why he had come to me at all. Bill knew I was skittish and that I scare easily.

"Well, I won't tell her if you don't want me to."

"Dallas," he said in that weirdly sensual voice he had, "I did not mean to burden you with this. I just feel as though you are a true friend to me."

"I feel the same way." That made me feel incredibly good. I had never had very many friends in Bon Temps, other than Sookie and Jason and even then, Sookie was a couple of years older than me and Jason was years older than her. Tara and Lafayette were nice to me but we'd never been close. Maybe this was a sign that things were looking up in my life. I had a new best friend. "Did they do anything to Eric?" I asked as an afterthought.

"No. They understood the vampire had been embezzling and he would have been punished more severely than I was. It is what got me a lesser sentence. I have to say, Eric did go out of his way to stand up for me when he never has before." Had Eric actually listened to me? A vampire who didn't seem to listen to anyone had actually done what I'd asked him to? This was unbelievable.

After that, Bill did a lot of explaining vampire politics to me. The vampires had split sections of the country and had rulers in every section. Eric was sheriff of Area 5 but Louisana, as a state, had a king. It was hard to wrap my mind around, especially when I was exhausted, but I was glad Bill told me. He left before the sun came up and I went back to bed.

The next few days were pretty eventful and luckily, didn't really involve me. Sookie figured out who had been killing those women and he had come for her next. After she was beaten to a bloody pulp, Rene Lenier had been killed. I tried to sit with her for a few days after and help her heal.

**Well, season one is officially done. I am glad I can finally move on to some more eventful seasons because there isn't much Eric to work with in the first season. But anyway, please tell me what you're thinking! Hopefully, it won't take me so long to update again.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey ya'll! I'm really sorry about the wait! My computer has been on the fritz for weeks and I haven't been able to update. Please tell me what you think! As usual, I own nothing but Dallas.**

I had barely met Jessica, Bill's new progeny, before she ran to Fangtasia to bond with Eric and Pam. Bill had cut his eyes at me and shrugged. I could tell he was already feeling defeated regarding her but I wasn't going out of my way to try to bring her home. With any luck, after meeting Eric and Pam, she would run home to Bill without a second thought.

Sookie didn't really like Jessica either but she was biting the bullet and trying to be her friend like I was. I just didn't understand why it was so hard to bond with a teenage girl. I wasn't that far off from my teenage years myself and yet, we were so different. She was rude and mean and she clearly didn't think highly of Bill. She was a bit too petulant for my liking, too much of a brat for me to get along with. But I didn't say any of that even to Sookie. It just wasn't in my nature.

I heard a knock on my door late one night and reluctantly, I moved to open it. I was more than a little sick of the Jessica visits but I wasn't very good at telling Bill "no". But when I opened the door, I almost slammed it shut again.

Eric was standing on the other side of my doorframe, leaning against it saucily. The first thing I noticed was that he had gotten his hair cut and that it looked incredible. The second thing I noticed was that he was looking me up and down and I remembered I was only wearing a nightgown. My eyes grew big and I quickly crossed my arms.

"Sorry," I said. "I figured you were Bill." _Otherwise I wouldn't have opened the door. _He smirked at me.

"You don't get dressed for Bill?" Eric responded. I felt my cheeks get hot.

"It's not like that," I replied, trying to make myself look taller. It was futile. Still, I was the one in control of this situation. I was inside my own house and he couldn't get in unless I let him. "Do you mind my asking why you're here?"

"Straight and to the point. Well, as a matter of fact, I was dropping Jessica back by Bill's." I could tell by his tone that he was as annoyed with her as I was.

"I still don't understand why you'd wanna pay me a visit." Eric looked me straight in the eyes.

"Why don't you invite me in and we can talk about it?" He leaned as close as he could without actually entering the house. I felt warmth spread through me, something that vaguely made me feel like I might take Eric up on that offer. I shook it off immediately. I knew what he was trying to do; glamour me.

I shook my head at him and moved to close the door. "No, thank you," I said. Eric lost his smirk and if I hadn't been freaked, I might've returned one of my own.

"What exactly are you, Ms. Montgomery?" he asked, making me pause before slamming the door in his face. _I don't know,_ I thought. _I really don't know. _A million things blazed through my mind; I had pretty great insight and was a really good people-reader but that didn't border on supernatural, did it? I had dreams about a place that, as far as I knew, didn't exist on this planet, but still, that's fairly normal, right? And now I was resistant to glamouring, which I'm pretty sure no one is resilient to.

"I'm just a waitress, Mr. Northman, and I would prefer it if you didn't come here again." This time, I shut the door firmly and I waited until I knew he was no longer on the porch before I buried myself under the blankets on my bed and tried to sleep.

Unfortunately, I never fully achieved going to sleep. I was groggy the next day at work and jumpy whenever someone entered the bar. Lord knows, if I don't get the right amount of sleep, I can barely function. Sookie distracted me from that by asking what I was doing once I got off. Sadly, since I was free, she wrangled me into having a girl's night with Jessica.

It wasn't that I disliked Jessica. In the right light, she wasn't a bad kid. She was rebelling like most other teenagers. This was her first time out on her own and she was embracing her new life. I couldn't say that I would feel the same if I'd been kidnapped and turned into a vampire against my will. So I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. She would warm up to Bill and to me and Sookie eventually.

Expecting a night of painting each other's nails and girl talk, I was in for a surprise when Jessica convinced Sookie to take us by her parents' house.

"I don't know how I feel about this," I muttered when we got in the car.

"I just want to see them, Dallas. Is that a fucking crime?" Jessica said. I knew she'd taken up cussing since becoming a fledgling vampire but that didn't mean she had to cuss at me.

"Do you honestly think it'll make you feel better rather than worse?" I asked. Sookie shrugged at me from the front seat. She didn't think it was a good idea either. Why were we doing this?

Jessica jabbered away for most of the ride there. I wondered whether Sookie and I would get in trouble with Bill for this. When Jessica vamp-ran up to her house, I knew we would be. Sookie gave me a look in the rearview mirror and I knew what it implied; _stay here. _You didn't have to tell me twice.

I got out of the car and paced for a little while until I heard some noises from inside the house. I knew it couldn't be going well. Jessica said she came from an oppressive family and I didn't imagine that they would take her turning well. Besides, Bill had to have stressed to her that it wasn't a good idea to pursue a continuing relationship with your human family.

I heard a yell and another noise from inside the house and I flinched. I turned to look behind me on instinct and I saw Bill. I can't say that he looked pleased to see me but he gave me a nod and proceeded up the sidewalk to the house. _This can't be good._

Minutes later, I saw Bill dragging a crying Jessica out of the house with Sookie on his heels. I could hear them arguing from where I was. Before I got dragged into the conversation, I slid into the backseat of the car and buckled myself in. Surprisingly, Bill started driving the car and I regarded Jessica warily as she took a seat in the back with me. Sookie and Bill continued yelling at each other, colored with implications that Sookie was an idiot for agreeing to bring us here. I really had to agree. Jessica's tears kept falling and I decided to keep silent. With any luck, they had forgotten I was there.

I grabbed Jessica's hand and gave her a nod when she looked at me incredulously. I could respect someone caring about their family… and at least now I knew Jessica cared about something.

The car pulled to a stop suddenly, after Sookie exclaimed that she wanted to get out. I watched her keep her word as she began walking to the woods. Bill turned around in his seat and gave me a look.

"It wasn't my idea," I muttered at him. He shrugged.

"It never is," he responded before turning back in his seat. I felt a little bitter when I heard that but I had to agree with him. If there was anything I was not, it was assertive.

"I think you should go after Sookie."

Jessica agreed with me. "She's only doing it because she wants you to chase her down and tell her everything's fine," she said. I nodded when Bill cut his eyes at us in the rearview mirror.

Sookie let out a scream that made my blood run cold. "Bill!" I exclaimed but when I turned to look at him, he was already out of the car. I opened my door and almost started going after them but Jessica stopped me.

I gasped when Bill returned, cradling Sookie in his arms. She was injured and badly at that. In a daze, I gestured to Jessica to take the wheel as I fell into the passenger's seat and Bill and Sookie got into the back. I turned in my seat as Jessica took off, no doubt leaving tire marks behind us.

"What happened?" I asked. Bill only shook his head at me. He was covered in her blood.

"I don't know what did this to her," he replied. "I tried to give her my blood but her body completely rejected it." I shuddered. I had never heard of anything that could override the healing effects of vampire blood. It was also very clear that whatever had attacked Sookie was an animal or at least, part animal. "But I suggest we go to Fangtasia. Eric will surely know someone who can help." I felt my stomach drop but if it was the best for Sookie, then I had no choice.

When we got to Fangtasia, Bill told Jessica to drive me and her back home. I was so relieved to hear that that I almost hugged Bill. But then I heard Sookie say my name. She wasn't exactly coherent but if she wanted someone with her who wasn't a vampire, I could hardly blame her. Besides, being around Sookie usually served to help calm me down. She could be healed and we could all go back home in a few hours. I could deal with Eric for that long, couldn't I?

I held the door open for Bill before heading in behind him and standing back. I saw Eric emerge from his office with Pam and watched as Bill had a hushed conversation with them. Eric immediately pulled out his phone and made a call, I assume to a doctor.

I finally moved out from the shadows I was meekly trying to hide in and immediately went to Bill. I helped him lay Sookie face-down on a table and then I tried to cut her jacket and shirt off with the scissors that Pam had begrudgingly given to me. Ignoring Eric wasn't hard for the time being and I had yet to spare him a look.

Sookie screamed at the slightest touch I gave her but I figured putting pressure on the wounds wasn't that bad an idea. Her blood smeared down the front of my blue sundress. This was beginning to really freak me out. I could tell that there were things submerged in the wounds and I didn't want to think it but they almost resembled claws.

Seconds later, I was being shoved out of the way because the doctor was finally there. She was a little woman and she looked human. I moved away from her and Sookie after wiping my bloody hands on my already-ruined dress. I felt bile rise in my throat when I looked down at myself. I was going to need to soak in a bath after this.

My nausea only increased when Eric moved to stand beside me, clearly invading my personal space. I side-stepped him.

"Dr. Ludwig is great," he said, ignoring how rude I was being. "I have total faith that she will heal Sookie." I nodded, still not saying anything. To be frank, I wasn't sure the scratches wouldn't kill Sookie. None of us knew what we were dealing with and we didn't even know how she had been attacked.

"Well, thank you," I made myself respond. "That's reassuring." I had to remind myself that I was _not _a rude person and that this was not the way I should be acting. Eric was creepy and he scared me but he hadn't been untoward. Besides, anything I did might affect whether he wants to heal Sookie. I did not want that to be my fault.

"I know you don't like me, Ms. Montgomery." _Perceptive, aren't you? _"I suppose we got off on the wrong foot. I hope you'll let me prove to you that I'm not all bad." I crossed my arms and dug my nails into my skin as he edged closer to me. I nodded without looking at him.

"Sure," I responded. "I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. I'm just… not used to this kind of thing."

Bill walked over to us and said that the doctor was going to officially start on Sookie so she suggested that the vampires leave the room. I watched Eric and Bill retreat into his office with Pam. I stayed with Sookie throughout it all, even though it was difficult to hear. I helped hold her down at certain times and other times, I just gave her my hand to hold onto. Once it was over, the doctor reassured me that Sookie was going to fully recover and be fine.

After Bill finally gave her his blood, it was too late for us to return home. Sookie and I slept in the lobby after changing into large Fangtasia t-shirts. It made Sookie look cute and sexy. I had a feeling it only made me look like a slob.

Sookie was the one to wake me up later that day. Lafayette had been missing for a couple of weeks and it surprised me to learn that he'd been in Fangtasia the entire time. Sookie had found him chained up in the basement and was nothing short of infuriated. I seconded that motion. I knew there was a reason I was wary of Eric. My intuition never let me down.

I let Sookie take the lead when the vampires finally awoke. She started in on Eric the minute he entered the room. Bill seemed just as shocked as I was. I watched Sookie slap Eric so hard that a normal person might have bruised.

"Your friend Lafayette traded sexual services with a vampire in order to sell his blood," said Eric coolly. "It is a grave offense."

"You oughta be ashamed of yourself," I said, finally entering the conversation. "He's practically dead down there because of you." Eric only gave me a look. He didn't seem to care about what he'd done or hadn't done.

"You've tortured him and bitten him and shot him and left him down there in his own filth for weeks!" said Sookie.

"There are others who would've done far worse and you all know it," replied Eric.

"You could be arrested for this," I said. It was the first time I truly felt like I had a backbone in front of Eric. But even though I'd barely done a thing, Eric hissed and immediately cornered me in the couch I was sitting on. I made a noise and tried to get farther back from him when I noticed how close his fangs were to my face.

"Eric!" reprimanded Bill.

"I do not respond well to threats," Eric said down to me before backing off.

"My mistake," I said, eyes wide.

"But," he began, "perhaps we can come to some sort of arrangement." I glanced over at Sookie and then nodded at Eric. He began explaining a situation about a missing vampire in Dallas, which of course, meant the city, not my name.

"So if we go to Texas and help you find this missing vampire, you'll let Lafayette go?" I asked. I was ready to agree and judging by the look on Sookie's face, she was too.

Before anything else could be said, Bill interrupted. "No. Sookie almost died last night and Dallas owes you nothing. They are not going."

"Bill, I think I can make up my own mind," said Sookie. She turned to Eric. "I'm in."

"Then I will take Dallas's place," said Bill.

"Bill," I said, shaking my head. He didn't need to take up for me like that.

"If Dallas doesn't go, there's no deal," said Eric. I snapped my head over to look at him. "I will pay for all of your expenses, of course, and yes, I will release your friend."

"And I want five thousand dollars," said Sookie. When we all gave her a look, she shrugged and said, "I'm missing a lot of work."

"What about you, Dallas?" Eric asked. I shook my head. I was _not _going to take his money, whether I needed it or not.

"I've got my own job," I said.

"This is also a job so I'm paying you whether you like it or not." I could tell I had surprised him, which might or might not have been a good thing.

"Then Bill gets to come with us." Eric smirked.

"Deal."


End file.
